“Luke, all I have to say is, don’t quit the day job. You’re definitely not going to be the next Dave Chappelle.”
“Maybe I’ll be the next Adam Sandler.”
“You’re goofy enough,” she teases me.
I just laugh. I love it when we can just be light with each other.
“Shall we go, my lady?”
“We shall, kind sir.”
I grab her hand and squeeze it, and we head toward the door. I open it for her, and she steps outside. As I close it, I pull her toward me.
“We okay?”
She nods slowly, but she doesn’t answer. That’s not really a good enough reaction for me, but it’s the best that I’m going to get right now. I take a deep breath and let my feelings of annoyance and frustration go. We make our way to the elevator in not-quite-companionable silence. Everything feels like it has that slight edge to it, and I just don’t know how to make it better.
We step into the elevator, and I accidentally brush against her. She almost jumps away from me, and I frown slightly. I’m about to ask her if she really is okay and if we should talk, but I decide not to. It’s a bignight for Rex and for Andi and for the family, and I know we cannot go to the party arguing, and we cannot step away from the party either.
I press the button to take us down to the ballroom, and we stand there in silence. It’s so very different from how we normally are together that it makes me feel tense, but I don’t know what to do about it.
We step out and make our way toward the ballroom. The sounds of partygoers echo through the halls. There’s a live band playing ’60s and ’70s music, and everyone seems to be having a good time as we step into the ballroom.
I see Mia looking around with a fake, plastered smile on her face.
She grabs my hand and looks into my eyes. “Time to fake it again, Luke.”
“I don’t like to fake it, Mia.”
“You could have fooled me,” she says, and I just stare at her.
“Come on,” she says. “I see Juniper.”
She pulls me toward the other side of the room, and I follow behind her, not wanting to make a scene, but really wanting to have a deeper conversation with her.
“Hey, Juniper. Hey, Wendy. Hey, Summer. Hey, Silvie.” Mia gives them all a quick hug.
I offer them my hellos and stand to the side, watching as she smiles and jokes with them. I can’t tell if she’s faking it or if she’s really just happy to see them.
“Would you like a drink?” I say eventually.
She turns to me, nodding. “Yeah, a glass of wine or something, please.”
“I’ll be right back.” I look around the room and head toward the bar.
I see my grandma standing there with Lucille and try not to groan.
“Hey there, Luke,” my grandma says, giving me a big hug.
“Hi, Gran. Hi, Mrs. Bishop.”
“How are you treating my granddaughter? Very well, I hope.”
I give her a smile. “You know how it is. Mia and I have a really good thing going, and we’re just trying not to ruin it.”
“I’m glad to hear that, Luke. I’ve been very glad to hear that the two of you have connected.” She looks over at Bitsy. “Aren’t you happy, Bitsy?”
“Yeah, I think we’re both very happy, Lucille.”
